80,000 Syrian migrants marching to Turkey, says Erdoğan

ISTANBUL-Anadolu Agency

More than 80,000 migrants from Syria's Idlib have started to migrate toward the Turkish border, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Dec. 22.

"In such a case, Turkey will not bear all alone the burden of this migration," Erdoğan said, speaking at an event in Dolmabahçe0 Palace in Istanbul.

Erdoğan said that Turkey along with Russia is making all-out efforts to end the attacks in Idlib.

In this regard, he said, Ankara will send a delegation for discussions to Moscow on Dec. 23.

"We will determine the steps we will take according to the results," he added.

In September 2018, Turkey and Russia agreed to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.

Since then, more than 1,300 civilians have been killed in attacks by the regime and Russian forces in the de-escalation zone as the cease-fire continues to be violated.

If aggression by the regime and its allies continues, Turkey and the Europe face the risk of another refugee influx.

Over a million Syrians have moved near the Turkish border following intense attacks.

Since the eruption of the bloody civil war in Syria in 2011, Turkey has taken in over 3.6 million Syrians who fled their country, making Turkey the world's top refugee-hosting country.